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Cross country skier Bryan Terry benefits from Special Olympics

By Jason PohlThe Denver Post

Posted:
01/20/2013 12:01:00 AM MST

Bryan Terry, training at Wallace Park in Denver, will be among more than 2,300 athletes competing at the Special Olympics World Winter Games in PyeongChang, South Korea. The Games' opening ceremony is Jan. 29. (Photos by Andy Cross, The Denver Post)

When Bryan Terry was an 8-year-old facing a learning disability and recurring epileptic seizures, he sought stability in a world where special-needs acceptance was rare.

Twenty-seven years later, he's once again gearing up for a trip around the world and the cross country ski competition of a lifetime.

Terry, 35, was picked to compete among more than 2,300 other special-needs athletes in the 2013 Special Olympics World Winter Games in PyeongChang, South Korea. The Games' opening ceremony is Jan. 29, and the week of competition that follows is more than just an opportunity to experience new culture — it's a chance to further advocate for special-needs equality.

Terry, 35, says he has "learned that you've got to have respect for everybody else, regardless of who they are or what their disability is. (Special Olympics) helped me grow."

"Over the years, I learned that you've got to have respect for everybody else, regardless of who they are or what their disability is," Terry said after training Saturday near Cherry Creek State Park. "(Special Olympics) helped me grow because I was able to have my self- esteem, confidence, pride and joy lifted up."

Terry's two-week adventure begins Thursday and includes several days of sightseeing and welcoming parties before competition begins Jan. 30. While in South Korea, he will join athletes from more than 110 countries who are competing in seven sports, including alpine and cross country skiing, snowboarding, snowshoeing, speedskating and floor hockey.

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But the pressures of competition don't worry Terry, whose gregarious nature stems from a series of talks as a Global Messenger — spokesman — with the Special Olympics. He has traveled around the world, advocating equality in the face of adversity.

"When you're being ridiculed for your disability and race ... it's hard to handle. It's just very stressful," he said, adding that he's seen plenty of societal advances during the years.

Terry is no rookie in athletic competition either, having trekked to China with Team USA for the 2007 World Games.

Randy Miller has coached him for nearly a decade and has led the Cherry Creek ski and snowshoe team for nearly 15 years. Terry's growth has been inspiring, Miller said, not just for him but for the dozen other members of the special-needs team. When snow conditions allow, they journey to Copper Mountain to train, but a lot of the time is spent conditioning at bone-dry Denver parks.

"He's gotten to the point where he's really proud of what he can do," Miller said, adding that his local special-needs group jumps at the chance for teamwork.

"This gets them together — they're not so self-conscious," Miller added. "That's why they grab onto it and they just love it so much."

And that's what keeps Terry coming back, week after week and year after year, striving to be his best.

"Everyone is respectful of who you are on the inside," he said. "You get treated like a human being. In here, you're treated with respect — you get accepted."

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